One Muskoka group advocates for efficiency

MIKE PROVAN, ONE MUSKOKA

MUSKOKA - Municipal governance review was a hot topic for about 15 people who came out to a One Muskoka presentation in Gravenhurst on Wednesday.
In the community room of the Your Independent Grocer, Mike Provan and Catherine King walked participants through a Power Point presentation that posed a number of questions about the efficiency of Muskoka’s two-tier government system.
The core issues raised at the meeting were a lack of what the group considers a sustainable economic development plan for Muskoka, demographics that are changing, with a declining youth population and a burgeoning senior population, a silo approach to service reviews rather than a district-wide approach, the existence of multiple tourism agencies, apathy and a lack of citizen engagement.
The group was made up of seniors, some of whom worked at high-level corporate jobs before retirement.
Provan’s continued references to corporate economic culture and the efficiencies demanded by the need to account to shareholders were met with murmurs of approval. On several occasions he threw his hands in the air in disbelief at his perception of the waste involved in having seven separate municipal bodies – made up of Muskoka’s six towns or townships and the district.
“Do we really need seven HR departments?” he questioned. He further wondered at the efficiency of having seven mayors, seven CAOs, seven finance departments and five fire departments.
Areas where One Muskoka suggests efficiencies could be found by the seven governments working together include bylaw rationalization, environmental issues, economic development, purchasing, roads, finance, human resources, general administration, tourism marketing and land use planning.
Provan’s concerns around property taxes that raise every year and the disproportionate amount of taxes paid by Muskoka Lakes residents, based on high property values, were pillars of the discussion.
He said that while the group doesn’t have the answers, they encourage people to pose questions and advocate for an independent review. He said he anticipates that if the public were to insist on a review now, it would take a decade before real changes could reasonably be made.
Provan said that none of the municipalities have invited One Muskoka to present to their council, but neither has the group made a request to form a delegation. He said he’s looking for further support from residents before taking that next step.
At the end of the presentation he suggested that participants ask their councillors the following questions:
Have you looked for the duplications in the system before raising the taxes?
How can you communicate better with me?
Why do the taxes keep going up?
Would you support an independent review at the district level? If not, why not?
What will your greatest contribution be as a councillor? Tell me why?
Gravenhurst councillor Lola Bratty was the only area politician in attendance, and she voiced her support for the review concept.